Chocolate Cake with Whipped Mocha Ganache Frosting

Well, let me clarify… I’m not a plain cake person. One of those cookie cutter, store-bought yellow or white sheet cakes slathered with icing just isn’t my thing. However, my excitement over cake goes up exponentially if the cake is either chocolate or contains lots of awesome flavors (I’m talking things like coconut, caramel apple, pineapple or *ahem* peanut butter).

I’ve always had a soft spot for chocolate cakes that are uncomplicated in nature with a bit of a flair… things like Coca-Cola cake, Mrs. Dill’s chocolate cake, better than “anything” cake, and ho ho cake. This cake definitely falls into that category – it’s a very simple chocolate cake that has a devil’s food flavor to it, and is topped with the most amazing whipped ganache frosting. With espresso powder and Kahlua, it’s certainly not for the faint of heart!

I’ve probably mentioned it before, but I’m a huge Ina Garten fan… she’s my food and entertaining hero. When she comes out with a new cookbook, I read it cover to cover. I did just that when her Make It Ahead book was released and immediately bookmarked three quarters of the recipes. This cake was one of those recipes and I was dying to make it… a simple chocolate cake with a fabulous flair – right up my alley! My Chief Culinary Consultant stood over the finished cake and said it smelled so good that he wanted his smash his face into it… now that’s a sure sign of a successful cake!

MY OTHER RECIPES

If you love chocolate and coffee and silky smooth ganache, you’ll want to run into the kitchen to make this.

Directions:

Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda, then stir in the salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, then add the vanilla and beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated and the batter is smooth.

In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the hot water, cocoa powder and espresso powder until smooth. Add the half-and-half and whisk until smooth.

With the mixer on low, add the flour and chocolate mixtures alternately in thirds, beginning and ending with the flour. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl and ensure that the batter is well-mixed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.

Make the Frosting: Place the chocolate, butter and espresso powder in a large bowl. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and place over medium heat until it simmers. Remove from the heat and pour it evenly over the chocolate mixture. Let stand for 1 minute, then gently stir with a rubber spatula until everything is melted and smooth. Stir in the Kahlua and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Scrape down the bowl and beat the frosting with a handheld mixer on high speed for ONLY 15 to 20 seconds, until the mixture forms soft peaks (if you overbeat it, it will curdle). Immediately spread on the cake and serve. The cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Recipe Notes:

Note: Half and half is a common ingredient sold in the U.S. - it is a 50/50 blend of whole milk and heavy cream.

95 comments on “Chocolate Cake with Whipped Mocha Ganache Frosting”

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okay, I am making the cake now. Or rather, I’ve made the cake and am making the frosting (the cake took about 45 minutes to bake!) I feel like I’m missing something in the frosting recipe… are you supposed to cool the ganache before you whip it??? I don’t see anything like that in the directions, and I’ve baked quite a bit but never made whipped ganache frosting before, and I just don’t see how it will whip up if it’s still warm???

Hi Michelle, Congratulations on completing your Whole30. I’m on day #13 and know I”ll complete the task, but looking forward to reading about your experience. I find the cravings are gone but I also don’t have anything in the house that I should not eat. Don’t know how you did that, especially making good things for Sunday Suppers. Feeling better, sleeping much better. Hoping to keep grains, sugar and dairy out of my diet for a good long time. Oh, is it possible for Daddy to hold Joseph until he falls asleep and then you cut?

I used bittersweet, but I think I would have preferred semi-sweet. It’s a matter of your taste. There is no added sugar so pick the chocolate with the sweetness you want. Semi-sweet and bittersweet are both considered to be “dark” chocolates.

I’m just wondering…why kosher salt? Also do you know the fat content of heavy cream? We have a variety here -10%, 18%, 35% and 48% (oh yeah, thick enough to stand a spoon up in). This looks divine! I love coffee and chocolate together. I’ll be making this for work.

Hi Wendy, Ina Garten tends to use kosher salt in most of her recipes; you could always substitute table salt, but be sure to check a substitution chart for the salt you usually buy. I do not know the fat content of the heavy whipping cream that I used – it was not marked anywhere on the carton.

Typically heavy cream has about a 36% fat content or more, so I would recommend either using the 35% you have or combining some 35% cream with some 48% cream to create a new mixture with a fat content between those two. Hope this helps!

You would need to add 1/2 extra cake batter to do a layered cake in two round spring form pans. I wanted to do this, but instead made a higher cake in one spring form pan because there wasn’t enough batter in the recipe as written. Just butter and flour the pan first to keep cake from sticking. Takes about 45 minutes to bake, although if you make more batter and split between two pans, you can cut down the baking time.

This looks so good I can almost smell it! Hahaha. Sorry to ask another substitute question, I know their probably annoying, but I want to use the frosting/ganache for a filling for my 7 yr olds bday cake. If I leave out the kalua & espresso will I need to add something else for proper consistency? Thanks so much!

I’m also a huge Ina Garten fan. Coincidentally, right after I read this post I read this: “I love Ina Garten. She’s one of the few people on Food Network who can actually cook,” he says. “When Ina Garden roasts a chicken, she roasts it correct. When Ina Garten makes mashed potatoes, those are some solid mashed potatoes. In many ways I want Ina’s life.” Anthony Bourdain

This is my kind of cake to make. I like to eat “fancier” cakes, but I hate making them. Even layer cakes.

I just have a question I would love to make this cake, but instead I would prefer an all-purpose flour that would be gluten free. Do I need to make any adjustments on ingredients listed for the batter?

This looks divine! My daughter’s 16th birthday is on Monday and she LOVES chocolate… this looks like the perfect cake for her! Although I’m not opposed to using Kahlua for her cake, we don’t have any in the house… do you think the frosting would still be okay if I omitted it? Or what if I substituted Bailey’s instead.. we DO have a plethora of that in the house! ;-)